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Mighty Avengers #7

The story sort of picks up where the previous issue ends. Spider-Woman sneaks her way onto a heli-carrier and lets Tony Stark know of their discovery of a Skrull infiltrator. I dug how the two characters interacted with each other, referencing previous stories without you as the reader having to know everything about them to make the scene meaningful. While there was tension between the two characters you also sensed a respect between the two which helped thaw the tension.

The team dynamic of the new Avengers was built up well. You got the sense of each character without them having to really talk too much. It also helped build the tension too since you knew that one of the team was a Skrull infiltraitor. Each member had a little moment that helped cast doubt about their true identity.

The landing of the Venom formula from space and latching onto the citizens of New York was a great was to end the issue. Being that comics aren’t built like television shows with seasons encompassing one story line (which I have read Marvel is considering doing which is a great idea.) at times you will have stories within stories come up that will keep characters busy. While I have yet to know how this will work out over the course of the comics it was a great introduction, especially the baby in the carriage that had the Venom formula latch onto it.

The art as usual was pretty solid. Drawn in the classic style with more modern touches, you get a sense of the characters in how they stand, pose, shake their heads, little things that give the characters more depth without having to speak.

The Bad:

Janet Van Dyne. The Wasp. While I love the character I really hate how she is constantly presented in pretty much every story I’ve read with her in it as a vain woman more concerned about fashion than the job at hand. I get it, some woman can be like this at times. Constantly presenting her as a stereotype really keeps me from wanting to invest emotionally in her character. I don’t think she has to pick up a machine gun, put on a belly shirt, and start killing lots and lots of bad guys to be a good character either. They just need to offer more depth.

While as I mentioned the intro of Venom into the story ended well, the start of it was quite sudden. You turn a page and two guys are talking while doing work on a space station. Something falls to Earth and viola, Venom everywhere. There could have been more buildup to bringing Venom into the story. Maybe my mind will be changed with further issues but I think of the person who picks up this comic for the first time not knowing much about the Marvel World. Would this interest me to invest further in the story or not?

Being as Civil War was a BIG event in the Marvel Universe, I thought it quite odd that Spider-Woman was accepted back into Tony Stark’s version of the Avengers as quickly as she was. I get that everyone involved were friends before the Superhero Registration Act happened and that with time, anger settles down and rationality sets in allowing people to be friends again. But for someone who for all intents and purposes was Tony Stark’s enemy to be accepted back into his team so quickly just did not seem realistic. I would have accepted it more if it was played out over multiple issues.

The artwork in this issues suffers from being claustrophobic. Again like being on a movie set. While I can’t expect every page to be drawn as if it were a Sergio Leone epic there could have been a lot more depth added to locations they were in, especially the exterior scenes.

Bottom Line:

Not a bad issue. While it will not go down as an historic issue in the history of comics, its purpose of continuing the tension of who is a Skrull and who isn’t was well done. While I would have liked the easing of tensions that Civil War brought upon these friends the character dynamic between everyone involved felt natural and did great to show the personality of each character especially since not all of the characters really had much to say. This was a Tony Stark centric story. I give the story a 7.

The artwork was good. Again, I liked how the characters were able to show off aspects of their character without even speaking. That says a lot for the artist and the passion he brought to the story. Despite the fact that the images felt claustrophobic, I give the artwork an 8.